IRAQI LETTER is a blog dedicated to news reports and viewpoints of Iraqi democrats and Left activists. It endeavours to cover important events and relevant activities of Iraqi democratic groups inside Iraq and abroad.
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Friday, 27 February 2009

Interview with Comrade Salam Ali, member of the Central Committeeof the Iraqi Communist Party about the recent Provincial Elections in Iraq

The following interview (on 14th February 2009) with Comrade Salam Ali, member of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party, is about the recent provincial elections in Iraq, after preliminary results were announced on 5th February 2009. It was conducted and published by "Nameh Mardom", the central organ of the Tudeh Party of Iran.

The elections for provincial councils in Iraq were held on 31 January 2009 and the preliminary results were announced on 5th February.

1- What is your general assessment of the outcome of the election? Do you think the results of these elections say anything about the success or otherwise of the political process that the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) has been promoting?

The preliminary results for the provincial elections in 14 provinces (out of 18 – the Kurdistan federal region, with 3 provinces, and also Kirkuk were excluded), announced by the Electoral Commission on 5th Feb. 2009, indicate a change in the political landscape in Iraq, and in the positions of the political forces that contested the elections under various slates. This change reflects, in one aspect, the participation of political and social forces that had boycotted previous elections (4 years ago). But it is also an indication, in a clear way, that the electorate went to the ballot box, in most cases, with a national motivation rather than a sectarian motivation. They were also driven by a desire not to renew the mandate of those who did not fulfil their promises and let down the electorate, especially those who were in leading positions.

The results also indicate, in general, that the voice of religious and sectarian bigotry and extremism has been weakened, in favour of the orientation towards building a civil state and its institutions, that would respect the rule of law and principles of democracy.

We commend this feature of the electoral process, which indicated progress of the democratic process in the country, and the expansion of its social and political base, and the growing conviction that the ballot box is the best way to resolve differences and conflict management. Further, we stress that the recent elections were truly an important step along the road to political stability and security and the restoration of Iraq's full sovereignty and independence.

However, these positive aspects are offset by a number of negative indicators, some of which are of a very serious nature, casting a shadow over the results of the elections and their repercussions on the political scene.

1) The percentage of participation in the elections was 51% of the electorate (7.5 million people out of 15 million), which is lower than expectations and participation in previous elections. In the capital Baghdad and Anbar province, it did not exceed 40%. This reflects the reluctance of a high proportion of people to vote, as a form of protest and an expression of sentiments of frustration. In addition, many people were denied participation because they could not find their names on the electoral register. The primary responsibility for this lies with the Electoral Commission. There are other technical and logistic factors that contributed to this lower level of participation.

2) The results in a number of provinces were contrary to expectations and the information, made available to many lists by their observers and agents, about the counting of votes. This applies to the lists of the Iraqi Communist Party, whether on its own or in alliance with other forces and personalities. Our party has submitted objections to the results announced for our party in some provinces, and demanded that all objections be dealt with in utmost seriousness, professionalism and transparency, to remove doubts about the fairness of the elections and the performance of the Electoral Commission.

3) An analysis of the preliminary election results confirms what our party had previously warned about, in connection with the unfair system of distributing the seats, as stipulated by the Law for Provincial Councils Elections. In some provinces, the combined votes of the winning lists did not exceed 35% of the total votes of the electorate, which means that, under the law, the remaining votes (65%), the share of lists that did not win, would unjustly be distributed to the winners! This constitutes, in our view, a threat to the democratic content of the electoral process, and represents a kind of confiscation of the voter’s voice. This system inflicts gross injustice to the other lists and their voters, as well as undermines the councils’ representation of the electorate in the provinces.

4) “Political money” has been lavishly spent during the election campaign by some lists, including for the purpose of bribing voters. This has had a clear impact on the results, and represents a serious threat to democracy and the freedom of voters to cast ballots without illegitimate pressure and influences. This is a serious loophole in the electoral system. It requires urgent action to develop controls governing expenditure in the election campaign as part of two laws that should be promulgated: one for elections and another for parties.

5) In a clear violation of the law, the state's resources and its media institutions were widely employed by some of the lists and figures, for the purposes of election propaganda and to influence the choices of voters. Other violations and abuses took place, including the use of places of worship in some areas.

One very important result of the provincial elections is that there will be a process of realignment of political forces, with the possible break-up of big blocs that were set up along sectarian lines. This will have a big impact on the build-up to the general, parliamentary, elections at the end of 2009.

2- How do you view the success of Maliki's list and failure of SCIRI and Sadrist's lists? What is the reason for Maliki's ascendancy in recent months?

Maliki’s list (State of the Law Coalition) adopted a generally national, non-sectarian, political discourse, carefully avoiding any religious slogans and symbols, contrary to SCIRI [its name has been changed to Supreme Islamic Assembly in Iraq, with the word “Revolution” deleted following a congress held in 2007]. Although Maliki’s coalition includes his own Islamic Daawa party, he never mentioned the name of this party throughout the election campaign ! It is also quite clear that Maliki’s campaign against armed militias and the relative but significant improvement in the security situation, especially in Baghdad and Basrah, enhanced his popularity and played a decisive role in coming in first in 9 provinces.

SCIRI, which had previously controlled the councils in Baghdad and 6 southern provinces, came in a distant second in 6 provinces. In Basrah, for example, it received 11.6% (compared to 37% for Maliki’s list). In Baghdad, however, it came in 6th place, with 5.4% (compared to 38% for Maliki). Significantly, in Karbala, it came 5th with 6.4%, and Maliki’s list came 3rd with 8.5%. The winner there was an “independent” figure who received 13.3% of the vote!The election results also indicated reduced votes for the Iraqi Islamic Party (Moslem Brothers) in some provinces, such as Anbar.It is important to note that none of the major lists got an absolute majority in the provincial elections.

3- Were these elections safe from manipulations by the government and powerful blocs dominating the politics of Iraq?

Positions of influence in government and “political money” were widely used during the period before the elections. This, and other factors, had a big influence despite the relative positive change in political consciousness among the electorate. In this respect, it is important to point out that a significant proportion of the Iraqi people continue to suffer illiteracy, ignorance, backwardness and poverty, and they have not been liberated from traditional allegiances and fear. Enormous political and social effort is needed to enable citizens to choose freely and practice their political independence, and get rid of the fear that has been instilled by dictatorial regimes, chaos, sectarian violence and militias. It would be difficult to overcome traditional allegiances and the influence of forces dominating political power unless the society recovers its well-being, political stability and security are achieved, and job opportunities are made available.

4- How do you assess the success of the Iraqi Communist Party list in this election? What were the main reasons for the weak showing of the result for the party lists?

Our Communist Party strived to be an effective participant in the provincial elections, not with the sole aim of winning seats, in spite of its importance and necessity, but to exercise its right to reach the masses of people, publicize its policy, and mobilize them to defend their rights and freedom. The party organizations and activists strengthen their links to the people and enhance their experience through such political battles.

In addition, the party contested the elections in 8 provinces as part of democratic coalitions, as part of its objective to strengthen the democratic current in the political scene. These coalitions were locally based in some provinces. In Baghdad, Babil and Qadisiyah provinces, the coalition “Madaniyoun” (i.e. advocates of a democratic civil state) included two other parties: the National Democratic Party and the Arab Socialist Movement. The election results will therefore provide valuable lessons about various forms of coalitions and their effectiveness, especially for the forthcoming general elections in late 2009.

The results achieved by the party lists, according to the preliminary results that have been announced, are below expectations (ranging from 1.2% to 2.3%) and do not match the status and influence of the party and its allies that are well recognized by people in the provinces and their political and social forces. The party has therefore expressed reservation about some of these results and presented its objections to the Electoral Commission.

5- You said that despite the results of these elections, the Iraqi CP views the outcome as being in the right direction. Could you please elaborate more on this?

Our initial assessment is that the party organizations and members exerted exceptional effort during the election campaign, and what they have achieved is valuable not only for further political battles, including the forthcoming parliamentary elections, but also for the future of the democratic process. The party, on all levels, has begun a process of evaluating its performance in the elections, including its political discourse and positions, potential developments regarding social and economic issues, the effectiveness of party media and how to develop them, the need for concentrating on getting closer to the people and developing links with various sectors, as well as reviewing election campaigning methods.

An objective assessment is needed coupled with determined and relentless effort to address the weaknesses and also consolidate the successes achieved. We are convinced that, despite the continuing difficult and complex conditions under which the party is functioning, its organizations are now stronger and better experienced in the democratic process, with wider connections to the people and better informed about the political complexities and the needs of the people.

The Iraqi Communist Party commemorated Communist Martyr's Day with a big meeting held on 14 February 2009 in the National Theatre in central Baghdad. This annual event was of special significance to Iraqi Communists because it marked the 60th anniversary of the execution of Comrade Yousuf Salman (Fahad), the founder of the party, and two leading comrades, Hazim and Sarim, on 14 and 15 February 1949.

The meeting was attended by members of the Central Committee of the party and hundreds of members and supporters. Several government officials were also present. Comrade Subhi al-Jumaily delivered the speech of the Central Committee. The programme of the event included recital of poetry, songs by "Friendship" group, and a silent theatrical performance by the "Ninorta" theatre group. The well-known poet Aryan Sayyed Khalaf read out rousing poems specially dedicated to this solemn occasion.

The meeting was also addressed by the secretary of the Union of Writers, the poet and comrade Alfred Samaan, who recalled the final moments of the martyred party leaders, as they bid farewell to their comrades in prison before heroically facing execution. A message was delivered to the gathering on behalf of the families of party martyrs.

Statement of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party

On the Preliminary Results of Provincial Elections

The Preliminary results of the provincial elections, announced by the Electoral Commission on 5th February 2009, have indicated a change in the political landscape, and in the positions of political forces involved in the various lists. While this change in positions reflects, in part, the participation of regions and political and social forces that had boycotted the previous elections, it also shows very clearly that the voters who went to the polls were, in most cases, not motivated by sectarian allegiance but driven by a national motive, as well as a desire not to renew the mandate of those, especially in decision-making positions, who did not live up to their promises and fulfill the hopes of the electorate. The results have also indicated, in general, that the voice of religious and sectarian intolerance and fanaticism has been weakened, in favour of an orientation towards building a civil state and its institutions that would respect the rule of law, the constitution and principles of democracy.

While we commend this feature of the electoral process, which has indicated progress of the democratic process in the country, the expansion of its social and political base, and a growing conviction that the ballot box is the best way for resolving differences and conflict management, we stress that the recent elections were truly an important step along the path towards political stability and security and the restoration of Iraq's full sovereignty and independence.However, these positive aspects are offset by a number of negative indicators, some of which are of very serious nature and can cast a shadow over the entire image and results of the elections and their repercussions on the political scene. 1) The percentage of participation in the elections was 51% of the electorate, which is lower than expectations and the participation in previous elections. In the capital Baghdad and in Anbar province, it did not exceed 40%. This reflects the reluctance of a significant proportion of the electorate to vote, as a form of protest and an expression of sentiments of frustration. In addition, many people were denied participation because they could not find their names on the electoral register. The primary responsibility for this lies with the Electoral Commission. There are also other factors, such as distant polling stations and the lack of means of transport, and other technical and logistic reasons that have contributed to this lower level of participation.

2) The results in a number of provinces were contrary to expectations and to the information, made available to many lists by their observers and agents, about the counting of votes. This applies to the lists of the Iraqi Communist Party, whether on its own or in alliance with other forces and personalities. Our party has submitted its objections to the results that have been announced in some provinces, and has demanded that all the objections be dealt with in utmost seriousness, professionalism and transparency, to uphold what is right and remove doubts about the fairness of the elections and the performance of the Electoral Commission.

3) A careful analysis of the preliminary election results confirms what our party had previously warned about, in connection with the unfair system of distributing the remaining seats, as stipulated by the Law for Provincial Councils Elections. In some provinces, the combined votes of the lists that won did not exceed 35% of the total votes of the electorate, which means that the remaining votes (65%), that correspond to the share of lists that did not win, would unjustly go to the winners! This constitutes, in our view, a threat to the democratic content of the electoral process, and represents a kind of usurping the voter’s voice and using it against his/her will. This electoral system inflicts gross injustice on other lists and their voters, and also distorts the Council’ representation of the electorate in the province.

4) “Political money” has been lavishly spent during the election campaign by some lists, including what was spent for the purpose of bribing voters. This has had a clear impact on the results, and represents a serious threat to democracy and the freedom of voters to cast ballots without illegitimate pressure and influence. This is a loophole in the electoral system and the organization of democratic practice that requires urgent action to develop controls governing expenditure in the election campaign, as part of the two laws that need to be enacted; one for elections and another for parties.

5) In a clear violation of the law, the resources of the state and its media institutions were widely employed by some of the lists and figures, for the purposes of election propaganda and to influence the choices of voters. Other violations and abuses took place, including the use of places of worship in some areas.

The Iraqi Communist Party and its allies in various lists, according to the preliminary results announced by the Electoral Commission, did not get what is commensurate with the status, activity and influence of Communists, and their supporters and allies, which are recognized by people in the provinces and their political and social forces. The Party has therefore expressed its reservation about some of these results and has presented its objections to the Electoral Commission.

Our party has actively participated in the provincial elections, irrespective of the results it would achieve, exercising its right to get to the masses of people and propagate its policy and program, and seeking to improve its positions and achieve a bigger proportion of votes. Despite being aware of the objective difficulties that we face, which are big, the party organizations and its supporters exerted an exceptional effort, full of enthusiasm, vitality and creativity. They have managed in the course of their campaign to extend links with the broad masses of people and workers, and have accumulated political experience and enhanced credibility among the people, that will both be important for subsequent elections and for the future of the democratic process in general. Baghdad